Pottery-finishing machine



Oct. 5 1926.

1,602,122 J. 1.. REED POTTERY FINISHING MACHINE Filed June 7, 1926 7 6 27 ZJ ag 26 El [+2] EH3 El Patented Oct. 5, 1926.

JOHN LEWIS REED, OE IRONSPOT, OHIO.

POTTERY-FINISHING MACHINE.

Application filed June 7,

In finishing round molded articles of clay pottery ware it is customary to place the partly dried articles, one by one, on a whirl or rotating disk or table on which such articles be sprayed with glazing or coloring liquids, or they may be smoothed or finished by the use of a pad of steel wool pressed against the revolving article. If

ornamental figures, as birds, flowers, etc., it be molded'on the clay art1cle such finishing with the pad bf steel wool will bring out the ornamental figures more clearly. In placing the articles to be finished on the rotating disk or table it is desirable to stop the machine comprising the rotating table,

as there is danger of breakage of the frail, partly dried molded articles if they be placed on the disk or table while the latter is rotating, and this frequent stopping and starting of the whole machine results 1n considerable loss of time and delay in the finish-' ing work.

This invention has for its object to avoid the objections just noted relative to the fre- H; quent stopping and starting of the finishing machine, and this object is effected by operatihg the rotating disk or table of the finishing machine through a ravity friction clutch connection of said disk or table with 3 its driving mechanism, such clutch connection being controlled by a foot lever, leaving the hands of the attendant workman free, as will hereinafter more fully appear. Thus much time is saved and the finishing work may be performed much more rapidly than with the pottery finishing machines heretofore in use.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of a machine embodying the invention. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of the same at a right angle to Fig 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing the rotating head of the machine and the friction pads thereon and also the stationary friction pads outside of said head. Fig. 1

pads 15. The shaft 13 is journalled near with a plurality of friction 192's. Serial No. 114,290.

its upper end in a bracket 16 and is stepped at its lower end in a sleeve 17 provided with a flange 18 by which it is attached to suitable supporting means, as the bars 19. Extending pa tway upward from the bottom of the sleeve 17 and fitting therein is a block 20 between whichand the lower end of the shaft 12 is preferably interposed a metal washer 21. The block 20 is slotted at its lower end for the receptionof the in nerpnd of a foot lever 22 pivoted at 23 in lugs l7 extending from the sleeve 17, said inner end of said lever engaging a pin 24: passing through the block 20 and extending into the slots 17 in the sleeve 17 so that the weight of the shaft 12 and the parts carried thereby is supported by the said block 20 and the said foot lever when the said shaft is lifted, and when the foot lever 22 is released the pin 24 will rest in the bottom of the slots 17 b in the sleeve 17.

Attached to the table 30, outside of the head or disk 14, are blocks 25 (preferably four) said blocks being provided on their upper surfaces with friction pads 26, and normally resting on said pads 26 is a light, metal work-supporting table or disk 27 which is provided with a central opening receivingthe.reduced upper end of the shaft 12, said table or disk being normally stationary, but being loosely mounted for free rotation beneath a nut 28 on said reduced part of said shaft. The table or disk 27 will preferably have its upper surface partly or wholly covered by cushioning pads 32 of sponge rubber, to receive the articles to be finished, so that they will not be liable to bebroken when'placed on said table or disk. The table is supported by standards 31.

In the operation of the machine an article of pottery to be finished is placed on the rubber surface 31 of the table or disk 27. The shaft 25 will then be lifted by the foot lever 22, bringing the friction pads 15 into driving contact with the table or disk 27, thus imparting rotation to said table or disk and to the article of pottery resting thereon, so that such article may be finished in the usual manner. When the foot lever 22 is released and the shaft 12 is lowered the rotating table or disk 27 will beilowered into contact with the stationary friction pads 26 which will quickly arrest the rotation thereof.

From the foregoing it will be understood that articles of pottery may be rapidly finished by the use of this improved machine, the rotating work-supporting table or disk 27 of which may be quickly started and stopped simply by the operation of the foot lever 22.

Having thus described my i nvention' I claim and desire to secnreby Letters Patent:

1. In a pottery finishing machine, the combination with a vertically movable rotary driving shaft and a head or wheel carried thereby and provided with friction pads, of a normally stationary work-supporting table or disk located above said head or wheel, and means for lifting said shaft to bring the said pads into frictional contact with said table or "disk to impart rotary movement thereto. 2.- In a pottery finishing machine, the combination with a vertically movable rotary driving shaft and, a head or wheel carried thereby and provided with friction pads, of a normally stationary work-supporting table or disk located above said head or wheel, and a foot lever' arranged to lift said shaft to bring the said pads into frictional contact with said table 'or disk to impart rotary movement thereto.

3. In a pottery finishing machine, the combination with a vertically movable rotary driving shaft and a head or wheel carried thereby and provided with friction pads, of a normally stationary worksnpperting table or disk locatedabove saidheador wheel, means for lifting said shaft to bring the said pads intofrictionalcontact with said table or disk to impart rotary movement thereto, and friction means for arresting the movement of said table or disk when said shaft is lowered.

4. In a pottery finishing machine, the combination with a vertically movablerotary driving shaft and ahead or wheel carried thereby and provided with friction pads, of a normally stationary work-supporting table or disk located above said-head or wheel, a foot lever arrangedto lift said shaft to bring the said pads into frictional contact with said table or'disk to impart rotary movement thereto, and friction means for arfesting the movement of said table or disk when said shaft is' lowered.

5. In a pottery finishing machine, the combination with a verticallymovable rotary driving shaft and a head or wheel carried thereby and provided with friction pads, of

rename stable or disk to impart rotary movement thereto, and stationary friction pads located outside of said head or wheel and serving to arrest the movement of said table or disk when said shaft is lowered.

6. In a pottery finishing machine, the combination with a vertically movable rotary driving shaft and a head or wheel carried thereby and provided with friction pads, of a normally stationary work-supporting table or disk located above said head or wheel, and of greater diameter than said head or wheel, a foot lever arrangedto lift said shaft to bring thesaid pads into frictionalcjontact with said table or disk to impart rotary movement thereto, and stationary friction pads located outside of said head or wheel and servingto arrestthe' movement of said tableor d sk when said shaft is lowered.

7. In a pottery finishing machine, the cfombination with a vertically movable rotary driving. shaft and a head or wheel carried thereby and provided with friction pads, of a normally stationary work-supporting table or disk sustained above saidhead or wheel, a sleeve in which said shaft is stepped, a liftingblock'in said sleeve below said shaft, and a foot lever the inner end of which enters said sleeve and by means of which said block may be raised to lift said shaft to bring said'pads into frictional contact with said table or disk to impart rotary movement thereto.

8. In a pottery finishing machine, the combination with a vertically movable rotary driving shaft and a head or wheel carried thereby and provided with friction pads, of a normally stationary work-supporting table or disk sustained ab'ovesaid head or wheel, a sleeve in which said shaft is stepped, a lifting block in said sleeve below said shaft, and a foot lever the inner end of which enters said sleeveand by means of which said block may be raised to lift said shaft to bring said pads into frictional contact with said table or'diskto impart rotary movement thereto, said sleeve having lags in whichsaid foot lever is pivoted.

In testimony whereof I afix my signature,

' JOHN LEVIS REED. 

